Battery and nuisance claims arising from burning lawn waste are dismissed

Helga Rose sued her neighbors, the Braciszewski family, claiming that their twice-annual burning of lawn waste created a battery to her and a nuisance to her property because the smoke entered her home and exacerbated her pre-exisiting respiratory problems. The Court held that the standard is an objective one, meaning that if the smoke would not have constituted an unreasonable trespass that "substantially impair[ed] the comfort or enjoyment of adjacent premises" it was not actionable. On this basis, the Court denied Rose any relief for nuisance. It also held that she could not prove that the Braciszewski family intended the smoke to come into contact with her, and therefore no legal "battery" had occurred. She was denied any financial compensation and also denied the right to enjoin the day-long burning.